Asparagus savoury pie with cherry tomatoes and fresh goat cheese

#know-it-all: Do you know that asparagus is also called “vegetable scavengers” of our body? Frankly speaking, I don’t. That is, I knew that they’re great for a lot of things, but nothing more. Brainy smurf mode on: I did a little bit of reading up and I want to share my knowledge with you…  Asparagus officinalis is first and foremost a powerful diuretic – my dear, I’ve ordered a pallet – a phenomenal natural antioxidant, rich in water and poor in fat, in short, a super food. It cleanse the kidneys, liver, lungs and skin, and among other things – future mothers immediately mark it in your grocery list – asparagus has an high content of folic acid, which is essential during pregnancy. In short, more asparagus for all.

INGREDIENTS

• French pastry
• A dozen of fresh green asparagus
• A dozen of cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of cooking cream
• Half a shallot
• 3 eggs
• 150 grams of fresh goat cheese
• A handful of grated parmesan
• Extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, chives q.s. 

Matching soundtrack: Dog days are over, Florence + The machine

PROCESS

Wash and peel the asparagus and cut off the ends. Now cut the stalks in slices keeping aside the asparagus tips – cut it in two or three parts (depending on thickness) along its length, is the most tender and delicate part and you’ll use it as decoration.

Boil for a quarter of an hour the asparagus slices in lightly salted water, drain them with a skimmer and then blanch for a few minutes even the tips, taking care not to break them. Now sauté the slices only with a little olive oil and the shallot previously chopped up to flavor them.

Beat the eggs, add salt, black pepper and also the cooking cream. When it’s all melted add an half of the goat cheese and blend it perfectly with the rest of the filling with a whisk. Now you’ve got a cream, so add the chopped chives and the asparagus slices (if you prefer you can blend it all with a food processor, but we don’t) and pour the filling obtained on a baking sheet lined with french pastry.

As last step the pie decoration: place on the surface the asparagus tips, the cherry tomatoes cut in half, the remaining goat cheese and a sprinkle of grated parmesan. A little olive oil and the baking sheet goes straight into the preheated oven (preferably in the lower part, so the bottom of  the quiche will become crispy) at 180°C for 25 minutes – or until golden brown. Have a nice weekend!

Photography: Sara Cartelli.
© The Eat Culture.